To Stream or Not to Stream

By Keith Shaner

That is the question. But what does it mean? It’s the common term we use for broadcasting over the internet. For pool, it can mean a few different things. For me I think of it in terms of photography. Many of you know I am a photographer, and in photography, there is a difference between a snapshot and a photograph. One is a nice picture, and the other one engages people and tells a story. It’s the same in videography. One kind shows some action taking place, and the other engages a viewer and tells a story. In other words, one has personal value to an individual or small group of people, and the other has value to a wide audience and tells a story. Something that makes people think and see beyond the frame.

First, I want to say that pool’s identity is not singular. There are many perspectives on it. In fact, these days, it’s practically suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder. You have the Room Owner perspective. They want casual players, serious players, tournaments, and a home for league teams. They want to sell Food, Drinks, Table Time, and a pleasant night out experience, even to people who stop in to watch and chat. You also have the League Operator perspective. They want players and teams to get as many as possible so they can maximize league fees and grow their brand and amateur events. Then there are The Player perspectives, Serious Amateur, The Casual, The Road Player, and The Professional. Don’t forget The Promoter perspective. Each one has their own agenda, their own goals, and ideas. They may overlap in some cases, others maybe not. Some goals may help one, not affect another and hurt yet third. It’s not a simple answer.

For me, I play pool and billiards, and I’m a fan of the sport and its players. I write about cue sports and players. I research its history. I’ve collected memorabilia. I take photos and try to promote players, rooms, and events. I’ve even hosted a small and modestly successful tournament. So, I have looked through the many eyes of pool’s multiple personalities and worn its many hats, even if just in a small way.

My goal is to see pool grow as a sport. I would like to see it reach the heights of at least darts and snooker. Pool was once a bigger sport. Ralph Greenleaf was on the same level as Babe Ruth in pay and media attention. I think if it grows as a sport from the ground up, it can become reciprocal, helping leagues, youth programs, and room owners grow, and it, in turn, creates fans, support, and growth for the sport as a whole.

Golf gets compared to pool quite a bit. Pro golfers once struggled financially. Amateurs were celebrated, and Professionals weren’t even allowed in the clubhouse. They often needed to be house pros, instructors, trick-shot exhibitionists, or take jobs outside the sport to make ends meet. Sound familiar?

Now, what about streaming? What value does streaming have for pool and billiards? From my main perspective, streaming has value because it can help tell the player’s story. It can be a presentation platform to the outside world. Streamers can showcase the highlights of the sport, and they can present players to the public through interviews with room owners, players, and fans.

Now they actually have to do those things in order to have real value for growing; otherwise, they are just taking videos and not documenting and presenting the story to the outside world.

This doesn’t mean it has no value. It’s just not valuable in terms of promotion to the public. It may have tremendous value to an amateur player for instruction, none to a professional, and it could, in theory, hurt a road player by attention or a room owner by keeping potential customers at home. Depends on the situation and conditions.

Fans follow players and teams. Pool has players, but no one knows them. They have stories but not enough people to tell them. Snooker and Darts do because Matchroom has been so good at it, and it’s why I like Matchroom. I don’t want to sell pool to pool players. I want to present the story of pool and its players to the general public. I want people to recognize and relate to players as people. I want them to follow them, no matter what event or game. I want people to know players like people know golfers, fighters, and race car drivers. Names, backgrounds, and hobbies. Things that make them relatable and likable to people. Maybe in some cases rivals to someone else. Things that make them watchable.

I hear all the time “pool is boring,” well the same can be said for many sports. The same can be said for Darts, Snooker, Golf, and Baseball… need I go on? You’ve all heard someone say it. Do you think that every sports fan is or was a player? Do you think every NFL fan sees the guard pull or the DE hold his ground for the reverse? Do you think every MLB fan sees the shift or knows why a pitcher threw a particular pitch when the count was 0-2 with a man on? Or did they see the subtle move to freeze a defender in the NBA or how a guard attacked the lead foot side to drive to the hole? No, they do not. So, the technical understanding of everything in pool does not have to be deeply understood for someone to be a fan and a viewer. It just needs to be presented well. Also, remember that not all players are fans.

We are a niche sport, so we will not reach the levels of the major sports, but we can do better than we are now. Look at what the UFC did. Look how they started, look how they grew, look at where they are now, and then taking in the fact, they had to compete with an established mainstream sport like boxing. Darts and Snooker are paying nearly a half million for first place in their world championships and are shown on TV. Why? Because they have viewers, sponsors, and organized support. How did they get it?

They grew their fanbase! They learned how to present their sport and, more importantly, their players. They made them relatable to people, particularly the youth. They collected a demographic that they could then present to sponsors and the media, and boom. Now they have an organization, professional marketing, TV contracts, professional publications, and sustainable prize money.

A casual fan who watches for even half an hour is just as valuable as a hard-core player who watches for four. Why? Because it is long enough for a commercial or two to be presented. It’s not that pool is boring, it’s not that it’s hard, and it’s not that it’s a niche sport. It’s not that it’s impossible. Others have done it. Other cue sports like Snooker have done it. It’s that its story doesn’t get told often, isn’t presented in the right way, and is not being told to the right people.

A good videographer with the right motivation, presentation, and vision to connect it in the right way may very well be a big steppingstone for gaining growth and support for our sport. Pool may not grow as much as I hope for, but for it to fail through lack of trying, infighting, and plain ignorance is an even bigger shame.

Something to think about…

All Photography by Keith Shaner